health topics

Researchers discovered that countries with the highest numbers of women using oral contraceptives also have the highest rates of death from prostate cancer. What does this mean? They think estrogen from the urine of women who take birth control pills could be to blame.

A new study of 8,000 kids published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds those who had high IQs were more likely to use certain illicit drugs as they aged. Smarter girls in particular may tend to experiment with marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drugs later on.

A new study published in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs may have found a potential link between older adults, financial woes, and alcohol and tobacco usage.

A study of 20,000 US families found kids with fathers suffering from depression are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than other children. Michael Weitzman at the New York University School of Medicine, who authored the study, said these findings are especially important at a time when unemployment is high and some military dads are returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with emot

New research finds autistic children’s brains have far more neurons in the prefrontal cortex than those of kids who don’t have the disease.

In a 29-page decision on Monday, US District Judge Richard J. Leon blocked the implementation of a law on graphic cigarette photos. It would’ve required tobacco companies to include explicit photos detailing the dangers of smoking on cigarette packages. The 36 images proposed by the Food and Drug Administration include a picture of diseased lungs next to healthy lungs, a man exhaling smoke through

Scientists may have found a way to stave off some effects of aging simply by removing human cells that stop dividing as we get older.

Scientists have found a way to genetically modify rice as a replacement for human blood. The idea is to extract a protein containing human genes that could then be used in lieu of actual blood to help burn victims and those who’ve suffered massive blood loss. It’s seen as a viable solution to shortages of blood donations, and it circumvents the need for HIV and hepatitis screenings that must be do

On November 2 in Tokyo, auto maker Toyota unveiled several robotic devices designed to help paralyzed people and the elderly walk. These robots include sensors that detect the user’s posture, grasp and holding strength, and motor control technology that facilitates someone’s desired motion.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting fatty and sugary foods rewire the brain in the same way drugs like cocaine and nicotine do, leading to addiction. In recent studies, lab animals who have been fed a diet of sugary and fatty snacks show the classic signs of addiction, and brain scans of obese humans show the same disturbances in their reward circuits as the brains that are found in dru